Roden 448 Beechcraft SD17S 1:48

The Staggerwing airplane from the Beechcraft firm was a good example of this kind of machine, being ideally suited for such tasks. It was very fast for its time, and had very short take off and landing runs. In 1935 a B17L was experimentally re-equipped with a set of EDO type floats, each with a displacement of 452 pounds. One airplane was purchased by Thomson Airways from the state of Maryland. It featured in the Hollywood film "Too Hot to Handle" in 1938 with the world famous stars Clarke Gable and Myrna Loy in leading roles.

After that machine, floats were fitted to other versions of the Staggerwing. Apart from the United States of America they were also used in Canada (in 1940 that country's Ministry of Transport purchased the SD17 for use on the Great Lakes) and in Australia (one machine was used at least until 1944).

With the onset of WWII, and especially after the USA's entry into the war in December of 1941, a great number of civil machines were requisitioned by the government for military use. Some float Staggerwings had this fate, along with their land based equivalents, and were given the military designations of GB-1 and GB-2. These airplanes were used both in the mainland USA and in more remote areas of the country, in Alaska. Their active service was quite extensive: they had to look out for potential saboteurs entering the country and their attempts to damage large reservoirs. Certainly, the likelihood of such a situation was small, but it did not diminish the part played by the Staggerwing in military applications.